Rivet sorting machine



Alig- 1948. A. N. ANDREWS RIVET SORTING MACHINE Filed May 24, 1944 IN VEN TOR. Anatol NAndrews B Attorney Patented Aug. 3, 1948 RIVET SORTING MACHINE Anatol N. Andrews, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to North American Aviation, Inc.

Application May 24, 1944, Serial No. 537,038

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to sorting machinery and more especially to a machine for sorting rivets.

[An object of the invention is to provide a novel machine for sorting rivets graded according to the dimensions of the parts thereof.

Another object is toprovide an improved machine for sorting rivets according to variations in the length, thickness, size, and shape of head thereof, or other configuration characteristics.

A further object is to provide a series of sorting or segregating devicesin a rivet sorting machine by which several sorting operations may be completed substantially as one.

My invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacturerelatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes typical embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is an elevation view, in section, showing an embodiment of the invention, the section geing taken substantially in the plane l-| of Fig.

Fig. 2 is an elevation view in longitudinal section showing one of the sortingscctions shownv also in Fig. 1. g

Fig. 3 is' a fragmentary elevation view ofla receptacle or tray for sorted rivets.

Fig. 4 is a cross section elevation of form of sorting section.

Referring more particularly to the drawing I show a rivet sorting and segregating machine which comprises a frame structure i8, consisting essentially of a pair of spaced frame members having pairs of oppositely arranged horizontal grooves or rabbets l9 for removably supporting a. plurality of boxes or sorting trays 5, 6, etc., which trays or boxes may be provided with supporting flanges 1 for slidable engagement with grooves l9. Box 5 is provided with side walls 8 and a longitudinally extendin inclined floor 9 positioned approximately midway between the top and bottom, there being side wall portions l0 below floor 9, floor 9 having a longitudinally extending slot ll therein forming a pair of guide tracks or ways l2 a modified along which rivets may be progressed and supported by the heads thereof.

Essential features, of the invention may be clearly seen from Figs. 1 and 2 which show atray 6 that is illustrative of each of the plurality of trays having a floor 9a provided with a slot, I la and side walls Ilia spaced apart a lesseramount than walls in. A transverse wall I5 is positioned as shown, and a longitudinal plate member l6 is provided extending along and above floor 9a. be-

yond wall l5 as shown. Wall l5 has an aperture 14 approximately in the shape of an inverted -V" below floor 9a, a portion of which extends above,

the floor, said aperture being slightly larger than the outline of a rivet which is intended to; be.

segregated by tray 6 and passed outwardly through the open end of the trayatthe right as seen in Fig.2 and deposited in a suitable receptacle l3 therefor. Aperture M will be so shaped that it is practically impossible for a rivet to be discharged unless it is the correct size and shape for the particular discharge point.

conventional type or form whereby th rivets placed in the initial tray will be agitated or;vibrated so that they either pass through the slots H or Ha to a lower tray or progress by reason i of the inclined ways I2 into other trays for fur-. thersegregation or into a final tray for removal from the machine.

A cross wall ISa similar to wall i5 is provided and has an aperture Ida to permit the segregated rivets to pass through. A pair of flanges. 10b extend, from walls 8 below floor 9 as shownv and' pro,-

vide limiting or checking means for the shanks of the rivets to permit those to be dropped through slot llb as desired, and prevent such passing therethrough of rivets which should be segregated for passing through aperture Ma.

In the operation of my rivet sorter, the agitation of the frame structure IE will cause the rivets to become positioned in the respective trays with the shanks thereof extending through the slots II and the heads thereof engaging in the guide ways i2. Considering now a series of rivets having identical heads but different shank len ths, for which the several trays shown in Fig. 1 are adapted, selection of such rivets will depend upon the angle which the heads thereof are permitted to assume in the slots ll of the respective trays.

Framewlais, adapted to be agitated by a suitable vibrator ll connected thereto, which vibrator maybe of any ofth'e rivet'inits selector tray.

The angle that the head is permitted to assume in turn is controlled by the engagement of the lower end of the rivet against the side wall 10 or Illa of the tray. For example, in the upper tray shown in Fig. 1, the side wall 10 is positioned at a sufiicient distance from the vertical axis of the tray to permit the rivet depending from the slot I l to pivot, as indicated by the arrow, to an angle of sufiicientiinclination to permit the header the rivet to he tilted sufficiently to pass through'the slot l I, whereas the wall War of the next lower tray, being spaced more closely to the vertical axis of the tray, will, by engagement with the lower end of the rivet, restrict the angle at which the rivet may depend in the .slottosuch an acute angle that the head is not permitted to tilt -sufiiciently to pass through the slot 1 I a. The angle of dependency of the rivet will be effected not only by the length of the shank but also ameter of the shank, by the diameter of the head. or by the shape of the head.

"Those-rivets that are arrested-by agiven tray will slide down the inclined ways 12 with the assistance of-the vibration induced in the tray, andwill progressthrough an aperture such as the aperture Min the traymbeneath theplate member Hi (which prevents the rivets that have passed the aperture from being joggled out of position) 'and willthence be discharged as indicated by the broken lineposition and arrow in Fig 2, into the receptacle l3 shown .in Fig. 3. The'aperture ltprovides a double check against the discharge of a wrong rivet from a given-tray, inth-at-it-is'shaped to correspond closely'toithe shape ofth'e rivet and the'angle of dependency It will be noted that the 'rivet' shown in full linesin the tray 6 in Fig.'-1*will *pass through the aperture ld'but'that the long'er 'rivet'shown inbroken lines will 'be stopped at the wall [5. v

'The rivets that are passed through a given tray, ,for example the tray 5, will be subjected toa further sorting process in the "next lower tray fifone'sizebeing selected out in that tray and the remainingrivets being dropped into a suceeedinglylower tray for further sorting.

WhileiIhave illustrated and described whatI now-regard as'the preferred embodimentof my invention," the construction' is, of course, subject to -moditications without departing from the spiritand'scopepf my invention. '1, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself tothe; particular form of construction illustrated anddescribed, but desire to avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described-my invention, what I claim-and desire to secure'by Letters Patent is: "1'. Adevice for sorting'and segregating headed and "thanked articles in a cordance with the bytthevdjconfiguration of the head portion of the article and the length and diameter of the shank thereof, comprising a receptacle open at the top and bottom and provided with a slotted floor intermediate the top and bottom, shank engaging means located below said floor and to one side of said slot, said slot being of less width than the diameter of said head portion and of such a predetermined width and spacing tfrom said shank engaging means as. to permit articles sized according to configuration of head and diameter gland length of shank to be held at a given angle rtherethrough-of such articles, articles not meetof tilting of the shank with respect to the vertical aXiS-Of-the receptacle, said receptacle being provided .with .a slotted end wall for passage ing such requirements being either passed through=said=slot or being retained in said receptacle, and means for agitating said articles.

2. A device for sorting and segregating headed and shanked articles in accordance with theconfiguration of the headportion of the article and the'length and diameter of theshank thereof, comprising a plurality of receptacles operatively positioned one above the other, means for sup-' porting such receptacles in operative position, each of said receptacles being open atthetop and "bottom andhaving. a slotted inclined floor intermediate the topand bottom, each of said slots being of predetermined width-and spacing frornthe-side-wallsof its respective receptacle according to the head configuration andlength and-diameter of "the shank ofthe articles to'be segregated thereby, andatlease one of said receptaclesbeing provided with an end wall slotted to pass articles of given headconfiguration and shank dimensionaan'd means'for agitating said articles.

ANATOL N. ANDREWS.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of recordinthe file of.this patent:

UNITED STATES *P ATEN TS Linkner a... Aug. -8, 1944 

